Iran Playing More Important Role in Region than US

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Western Political Elites Oppose Military Strike on Syria

Interview with Arshin Adib-Moghaddam

In the following interview with Iran's Mehr News Agency, Arshin Adib-Moghaddam, professor of political science and international studies at SOAS University of London (the School of Oriental and African Studies) has emphasized that under the present circumstances, the Islamic Republic of Iran is playing a more prominent role in regional developments compared to the United States. In this interview, the SOAS University professor has ruled out utility of military strike against Syria. He has noted that the US President Barak Obama does not actually intend to attack Syria, but his allegations are just a meaningful political gesture. Here is the complete text of his interview.

Q: Why even after the UK, which has been a constant ally of the United States in the past decades, decided not to accompany Washington in its purported military strike against Syria, Obama has continued its threat of war against the Syrian government? What is the main objective that Obama seeks through such threats?

A: Well, as a matter of fact, President Obama is not willing to be dragged into the Syrian quagmire. The elite politicians in the West believe that such political conflicts [as the unrest which is going on in Syria] cannot be settled through foreign military intervention. Most importantly, if the US administration gets engaged in a new war, it will probably lose the next [presidential] election. Politicians in North America and Europe are well aware that the citizens of their countries are strongly opposed to another war with a Muslim country. Such opposition increased following the catastrophic war on Iraq and this is exactly why the British parliament refrained from giving a positive vote to the UK’s participation in any possible attack on Syria. This was a historical step taken by the British parliament which proved that in the opinion of its representatives, democracy takes precedence over other considerations. Obama is certainly not seeking a full-fledged war and its allegations are nothing, but a meaningful political gesture.

Q: What will be the consequences of a possible war on Syria for the entire region, in general, and the government of Turkey, in particular?

A: As I said before, I don’t believe that the region is in for a full-fledged war. As I have frequently noted in my latest books, at present we are living in a period which can be called post-US order period. At this juncture, political developments in West Asia and North Africa follow their own dynamism. The Islamic Revolution in Iran, which triumphed in 1979, was the first step toward the realization of the complete independence and autonomy of the Middle East region. The latest popular revolutions and movements in regional Arab states constitute the second step on the same path, which clearly proved that the old political order in the region has reached its end. In my book, “Power and Resistance Today,” which is about the Arab movements as well as the Islamic Revolution in Iran, I have pointed out that we have entered the post-geographical and post-modern period of global politics. As a result, Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and even Qatar are currently playing a more important role in regional developments compared to the United States. Of course, none of them, on their own, may be able to come up with a complete formula to put an end to the ongoing conflicts in the region, or to change the security structure of the region in such a way as to provide necessary grounds for the punishment of countries that resort to military aggression against others.

Q: Why the government of Turkey is constantly encouraging the West and the United States to take military action against Syria?

A: I don’t think that engaging in war on Syria would benefit Turkey in any way. Even when Syria downed a Turkish fighter jet in 2012, Turkey gave a smart answer to Syria’s measure. The public opinion, on the other hand, is also the most important concern for Ankara. If [the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip] Erdogan makes any decision to take part in a possible US military strike against Syria, he is sure to lose people’s support in the next general election. The Justice and Development Party should pay due attention to concerns of the Turkish people who are against the war on Syria and have clearly shown this by taking part in widespread protests against war.